The massive haul of Class A drugs seized by police in Newtownabbey over the past year is an indication of their increased use on local streets, a leading substance abuse worker has said. Director of Services at Forum for Action on Substance Abuse and Suicide Awareness (FASA) Jim Weir was speaking after new figures show large increases in seizures of hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin in Newtownabbey…

THE annual Belfast Film Festival is returning this month, and with it comes a brand new Irish language documentary charting the history of the city over the last 100 years. The new film, titled ‘Cathair Ghonta’ (Wounded City), is produced by Bóthar Ard, the filmmaking arm of the Belfast Media Group, publishers of the South Belfast News, and sister publications the Andersonstown News and North Belfast News.

Police have recovered what they described as two ‘dissident republican’ firearms during a security alert in North Belfast this week. A 2.2 rifle that had been cut down and a 2.2 pistol were removed from a hedgerow at the back of homes in Etna Drive in Ardoyne. A number of houses were evacuated while the security alert was ongoing on Tuesday afternoon.

North Belfast homeowners who had a group repair scheme carried out by the Housing Executive in 2007 said their homes have had damp and flooding problems since the work was done. Residents living in Newington were part of a HE group repair scheme that was done on homes in the area five years ago. Under the scheme homes that are privately owned have work done including replacement of roofs, rebuilding of chimneys, replacement of doors and windows and replacement of guttering in order to improve neighbourhoods.